Time Stranger Ai
by Phoenix-Talon
Summary: A mysterious power is awakened within Ai and she is forced back in time to her parent's past. Now, she must help the others fight and get her parents together before its too late. Oh, and she might be falling for Tatsuma. That could cause problems.
1. Tokyo: 2028

**AN: Hey everybody! I actually have two chapter length fics in mind, and this is the first, so keep your eyes peeled for the second one. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Tokyo Majin. And any references to Back to the Future.**

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Something was beeping.

Ai Houraiji groaned softly, ignoring it. She buried her head under her down comforter and tried to remember her dream. It had been a good one.

Whatever it was, it beeped relentlessly. Irritated, Ai opened her eyes.

The thing was her alarm clock, and according to it, she had overslept and was now a half hour late.

"SHIT!" Ai yelped hurtling out of bed. She shoved her school uniform on and scrambled out of her room. She nearly careened into her younger brother.

"Get out of the way, Atsushi!" She bellowed. Atsushi noticed how manic she was, and with little brother glee, began to pester her.

"You are l-a-t-e!" He sang. "You're gonna get kicked off the Student Council, and you're gonna lose your Kendo meet, and you're gonna flunk sophomore year—"

"Shut up, you little insect!" Ai snarled, pushing him out of her way to dive into the kitchen. There she ran into her parents, who were kissing.

"Eeeeeeeew," Ai gagged, sidestepping them to get at the orange juice. "Not in front of your kids, sheesh!"

Her dad smirked unapologetically but her mother blushed slightly. Her mother handed Ai a piece of toast and glanced at the clock.

"Ai, aren't you late? I thought you had a Student Council meeting this morning," She asked worriedly.

"I know, I know!" Ai wailed. "I was up all night working on the school festival outlines, and I was exhausted because practice went for so long last night. The kendo meet's tonight and—where's my bokuto?"

"Aren't you going to have any more breakfast?" Her mom pleaded.

"I'll eat an apple on the way—where is my bokuto?!" Ai howled, gathering up various pieces of outline, shoving a piece of toast down her throat, and gulping orange juice at record speeds.

"It's right here, jeez," her dad rolled his eyes, tossing her the wooden sword. Ai caught it, kissed her mother, hugged her dad, and flew out the door.

It was a beautiful September day, and the sun was shining as Ai raced down the street. She caught the train, and ran to Magami High.

After the apocalyptic era her parents lived in, Tokyo was still getting back on its feet. There were parts of the city that still crumbled, but much had been fixed since Ai's parents' time. Magami High had been rebuilt and refurbished. Of course this was beyond Ai's notice; she had never known it to be anything different. She knew that her parents had been part of the Tokyo demon battle, but they didn't talk about it much. She had a feeling they had lost a few friends in the battle. There were rumors that demons still lurked in the darker corners of Tokyo, but the sightings were rare. Occasionally a hooker's dead body would be found, or a mysterious death would be reported, but nothing more than that.

Ai slid the door open and stumbled haphazardly into the Student Council. The president of the Student Council, Noriko Sakuma, turned to give her a glare.

"You're late, Houraiji," She said in a clipped tone, staring at her imperiously.

Ai's temper flared up, but she fought for control. "Sorry, Sakuma. I brought the outlines." She placed several rolled up pieces of paper on the table.

Noriko unrolled them and carefully examined them. She ran her hair through her strawberry colored hair, looking contemplative. "These seem adequate. Take your seat, Houraiji."

Ai bit back an insult and sat. Noriko and Ai had been on opposite ends since elementary school. They had campaigned against each other for presidency, and Noriko had won. The unfairness of it still grinded against Ai.

The thing was, Ai _knew_ she was more capable than Noriko. Noriko liked to boss everyone around, and pretend she knew what she was doing, but really, Ai did all the work. Hence Ai drawing up the outlines for today, which was supposed to be the president's job. Noriko had won the election frankly because she was much prettier than Ai.

Not that Ai was an ogre or anything. It was just that…she took after her dad in most respects. True, she had inherited her mother's dark hair, but everything else came strictly from her father. As much as she wanted her mother's dark eyes, she had gotten her dad's light brown instead. They weren't even a nice light brown, frankly they flashed too often and intimidated people. Her hair was short, but it still stuck up everywhere. She had no curves to speak of; her body was all planes and angles. She might've looked good as a boy, but she didn't look…well…feminine.

The meeting finally wrapped up, and school began. Homeroom was first, and with an exhaustive sigh, Ai reached it. She took her seat and rubbed her temples.

"You okay, Houraiji?" Tetsushi Daigo asked her. Tetsushi and Ai were childhood friends, and had been in the same homeroom for the past two years. He had short spiky hair, a dark burgundy color. He was on the archery team.

"Mmhmm…" Ai groaned into her arms. "Just tired. Sakuma's driving me nuts, that's all. And I'm worried about tonight."

Tetsushi blinked. "You have that big kendo meet tonight, right?"

"Uh huh…" Ai groaned again. "I am sooo nervous!"

"Why?" Tetsushi demanded. "You always rock those things. You're gonna do fine. Kieko and I will come and cheer you on, okay?"

Ai smiled at him. Tetsushi was currently dating Ai's best friend, Kieko. Kieko belonged to a different homeroom, however. But Ai knew that Kieko would offer the same reassurance. She was thankful for her friends.

"So are you gonna ask out Seiishiro?" Tetsushi asked eagerly.

Okay, she was _sometimes_ thankful for her friends. Other times she wanted to strangle them.

"Would you get over that?" Ai demanded. "He's just a flirt. His girlfriend confronted me yesterday."

"Really?" Tetsushi's face fell. "Damn. Anyone else you like?"

"Geez, Tetsushi, I am perfectly fine without a boyfriend, you know!" Ai snapped. Tetsushi and Kieko both had been aggravating her about getting together with someone. She knew it was because they missed hanging out with her. They also knew Ai felt awkward when it was the three of them, so they were constantly trying to figure out ways to hook Ai up.

"Sorry, Tetsushi," Ai said finally, noticing that he looked a little hurt. "It's just…there's not really many guys in this school that are attractive to me. They're all the same. If I start liking somebody, I'll tell you. Okay?"

Tetsushi nodded. Before he could reply, the bell rang, and the two of them turned their attention to the teacher.

XXXXX

The day dragged on for Ai, but she relished each slow class. She was getting more and more nervous as her kendo meet drew nearer. But when the last bell rang, Ai walked outside, breathing deeply. As she exited Magami High campus (her meet was at six, so Ai figured she'd get some dinner first) someone caught her eye.

"Dad?" She said suddenly. Sure enough, her father was waiting for her.

"What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come!" Ai said delightedly, hugging her father.

"I decided to play hooky," Her dad said impishly. "We'll get some dinner, okay? Ramen Hut?"

"Excellent!" Ai and her father shared similar interests in food. Her relationship with her father certainly couldn't be termed typical. They were so similar, they had to have a close bond. He wasn't often able to come to her meets or school festivals, so this was a rare treat for her.

They walked together, chatting nicely, and reached the Ramen Hut, both ordering the same.

"Your mom is going to meet us here after work, so we'll both walk you back to school," her dad told her as they dug into their ramen.

"Is the whole family coming?" Ai asked excitedly.

"Yep," her dad confirmed. "Your mom's going to pick up Atsushi from school on her way here."

"Yay!" Ai said happily. Her father grinned at her.

"Well, you can't blame us for all wanting to be here. You have no idea how proud I am of you, Ai." Her father said.

Ai grinned back. "You should be, since you taught me more than Sensei Fujimoto ever did!"

Her father chortled. "Well, keep our fancy moves to ourselves, I doubt these high-class dojos would appreciate _my_ sword tactics."

"I'll save them for last," Ai laughed. "You were a kendo champion when you were wrong, right?"

Her father coughed. "Eh…not exactly. I wasn't much for school activities…or school…or…anything really. Anything besides fighting. I was always getting into trouble."

Ai blinked. "But wasn't mom the president of the student council?"

"Yep."

"Then how did you two get together?"

Her father scratched his head. "Well, a lot of it had to deal with us fighting the demons all the time. We were forced to work as a team. And even more, we had to deal with some weird coincidences and a little help from various people…" Her father drifted off. His eyes suddenly looked sad.

"It must've been pretty bad back then," Ai said softly.

"It was," He replied. "We lost a lot of friends. One of my…closest friends just disappeared one day. I never saw him again."

Her father suddenly glanced out the window. "Your mom and Atsushi are here," He said. "We better get going."

"Right!" Ai replied, in an effort to stay cheerful. Her thoughts were sad. She knew her father must've gone through a lot of pain to lose so many friends.

The walked down the steps. Ai waved merrily at her mother and brother and started towards them.

Before she reached them, it happened. Something collided into her, knocking the wind out of her completely. She gasped for air.

"What the—?" She cried out trying to stand. And then she saw it.

It was demon. She knew it by her parents' descriptions of them. It was a horrible slathering, many-jointed creature. It's face was a cross between a boar and a wolf. It's eyes were crimson red, and it had horrible Grendel-esque arms, with claws longer than Ai's forearm. It glared at her, and went for her again. Ai screamed.

Before it attacked her, her father came barreling into it. He punched it hard, and grabbed Ai's fallen bokuto, thrusting it into the creature. The demon wailed and attempted to bite him.

Her father turned his head. "Ai, get out of here!" He bellowed. "Get your brother and RUN!"

"Dad!" Ai screamed again, but forcing herself to stand. She grabbed Atsushi's collar and tried to drag him off. He remained frozen.

Ai suddenly realized something. "Atsushi, where's mom?" She demanded. But before Atsushi could answer, she saw her mother running forward, where her father was attempting to pin the creature down.

She heard him yell, "Aoi, get back! I SAID GET BACK! GET THE HELL AWAY! TAKE THE CHILDREN AND GO! _AOI! GO NOW! GET THE HELL AWAY!_"

The demon raised a claw and plunged it into her father's back. He cried out.

Her mother screamed, "Kyouichi!" She ran forward, attempting to drag her husband away from the demon's hands. The creature sliced open her stomach.

"DAD!" Ai shrieked. "MOM!"

There was a flash of light. Ai felt an immense surge of power course through her. She barely noticed the scarlet stripes encircling her arms and face. She screamed again as the power flowed through her. She was blinded by light.

And then there was silence.


	2. Tokyo: 2007

**AN: Hey all! Many thanks to Stardog252 and NobleAngel015 for reviewing! Please continue, I totally feed off of reviews! On a more personal note I just got volume two yesterday! Yay! Volume three comes out April 1. If anyone wants to get that for me for a super early birthday present…lol, just kidding! Enjoy the next chapter! **

**Oh, by the way, remember Ai's present is our future. Tokyo Majin came out in 2007 so that's the year Ai goes back to. Ai is from further in the future, so that's why she thinks Tatsuma's jacket is 'old-fashioned.'**

**Disclaimer- Don't own Tokyo Majin. I do own Ai. She is mine. Wish I owned Kyouichi. **

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Ai opened her eyes. She coughed slightly. She tried to stand, but the blinding pain in her head nearly staggered her. She groaned. What had happened?

In a blurry haze, Ai remembered the kendo meet, the demon attack…the creature's claws slicing into her parents…she shuddered. She stood up, wincing at the pain in her temples. She was holding her bokuto, which didn't make sense to her, because she had seen her father plunge it into the demon.

"Dad?" She called out. "Mom? Atsushi?" Her heart froze in her chest. Where was her family?

She shivered. It was completely dark. She saw the outline of the Ramen Hut, but the sky was pitch black, with only a few streetlights glowing. She frowned. How long had she been unconscious? When her dad and she had left the Ramen Hut, it had only been sunset.

"Hello?" She cried. "Anyone?"

A garbage can fell over with a clunk. Ai whipped around, and ran towards the source of the noise. "Atsushi? Mom? Dad?"

Something growled.

Ai stifled a cry. She stepped away from whatever it was, planning on running. Before she could do so, it came out of the alley.

It was another demon, though this one looked more like a stork-like bear. It clomped towards her clumsily, flashing beak-like teeth in her direction.

"Another one?" Ai yelled. "Where's my family?"

The creature simply click-clicked, and started towards her again.

"Back off!" Ai shouted, wielding her bokuto threateningly. The demon paid her no heed.

For a full two seconds, the demon cocked its head in an almost bird-like manner, and then it struck. It went for her legs and nearly snapped her ankle clean off. It would have, in fact, had Ai not shrieked and clobbered the thing haphazardly with her bokuto.

The demon did not expect a fight out of Ai, so it backed off two steps, and eyed her carefully. Ai screamed again, and scrambled up, trying to run. The thing leapt clean over her head and blocked off her mode of escape.

_I'm dead._ Ai thought frantically. Tears of hopelessness started to leak out of her eyes. "HELP!" She howled as loudly as she could.

The demon leapt at her.

And then something pummeled into the demon.

Ai's mouth dropped open.

It was a boy, perhaps a year or two older than Ai, and he had kicked the monster clean off its feet. The creature jerked around, trying to fumble back onto its stork-like legs. Before it could, the boy slammed his fist into the creature's beak. It wailed loudly, and _snapped_ in half. It was dead.

All this took place in the space of two heartbeats.

Ai's mind swam as the boy brushed himself off. He glanced at her questioningly.

"Are you okay?"

Ai swallowed hard as she stared at the boy. He looked her age, with short dark hair and a serene-looking face. He wore an old-fashioned blue jacket, one with a hood peeking out from under his shirt. He had fingerless gloves, and Ai stared at him in astonishment. He looked…friendly. Not the type to take down a full-grown demon. Yet he'd killed the monster with almost ease.

"Where—" she croaked. She swallowed again. "Where are my parents?"

"Were they with you?" The boy asked, helping her to her feet.

"My parents—" Ai stuttered. "And my little brother—the demon—" Ai choked, shaking violently.

The boy pulled her forward. "Come on," he said gently. "You need to calm down."

He herded her away. Ai barely noticed. She walked in a daze, the image of her parents being attacked by the creature was burned into her retinas. She vaguely noted that the boy told her to wait outside as he went inside a coffeehouse. She shivered as she stared ahead.

Wait.

Something was different. Ai peered ahead of her again, trying to figure out what was niggling at her.

The door to the coffeehouse opened, and the boy came out, holding a Styrofoam cup. Ai smelled a caramel mocha, and took it gratefully.

"Thanks," she said shakily, taking a sip. "Has this coffeehouse always been here?"

"I think so," The boy replied. He held a cup too, but whatever he was drinking was pink.

"Thank you…" She said staring at the lid of her cup. "For…saving me."

The boy nodded in a friendly way and smiled. "Your parents might still be alive," He told her. "I didn't see any…remains."

Ai shuddered. "I hope so," She said taking another comforting sip. "What's your name? What school do you go to?"

"Magami High," He answered. "I'm a senior. My name's Tatsuma Hiyuu."

Ai gave a faint smile. "That's where I go. I guess you're my senpai. I'm a sophomore, my name is Ai Houraiji."

Tatsuma blinked. "Did you say 'Houraiji'?"

"Yeah," Ai watched him hopefully.

"Are you related to Kyouichi Houraiji?" Tatsuma asked curiously.

Ai gasped. "Yes, yes I am! He's my dad!"

Silence.

Tatsuma blinked. "I think we're talking about two different Kyouichi Houraiji's," He coughed.

"Yeah, right!" Ai scoffed. "How many Kyouichi Houraiji's could there be? You must know my dad!"

"I reeeally think we're talking about two different people," Tatsuma said, smothering a chuckle.

"Kyouichi Houraiji, we live in Tanemura apartments, he's married to Aoi Houraiji—my mom!" Ai cried.

Tatsuma choked on his pink drink, spraying strawberry milk. "D-did you just say Aoi?" He wheezed.

"Yeah…" Ai said, puzzled at his reaction. He continued to laugh. "What's so funny?"

Tatsuma wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry, Ai, but we must be talking about two different people. I have a friend named Kyouichi Houraiji, and another friend named Aoi, so that's why I laughed. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. But don't worry, we'll find your parents, okay?"

"No!" Ai said desperately, clinging to straws. "It could be my dad! Just take me to him, please!"

Tatsuma shrugged. "He's coming already, you'll see for yourself," He answered.

"Oi! Tatsuma!"

Both teenagers turned as Tatsuma's friend Kyouichi Houraiji walked forward. Ai stared at him blankly. He had a bokuto slung across his shoulders, and looked about Tatsuma's age. As he reached them, Ai could stare at him fully.

"Who the hell is this?" He asked Tatsuma. "Did you find that demon?"

"Yeah," Tatsuma replied. "But this girl…I think she's a bit confused."

Ai could not stop staring at him. "Are you…Kyouichi Houraiji?" She asked feebly.

"Yeah, who's asking?" He demanded brusquely.

Ai blinked. "You're…you're not my dad…"

Kyouichi arched an eyebrow. He glanced at Tatsuma who merely shrugged.

The thing was, this Kyouichi Houraiji _looked_ like Ai's dad. He was shorter and lankier, and he had a lot of product in his hair…but his eyes were the same as her dad's…the same as Ai's. His voice was familiar too. But what disconcerted Ai most was his bokuto. Her arms tightened around her own. The bokutos were more than similar, they were…the same.

"Tatsuma, who is this chick?" Kyouichi demanded again.

"She says her name is Ai Ho—" Tatsuma started.

"—shiko! Ai Hoshiko!" Ai interrupted frantically. She looked at the two boys, feeling hopelessly lost. But one thing ground against her. She couldn't tell these people too much.

To her surprise, Tatsuma followed her lead. "Ai Hoshiko," He agreed, though he threw her an odd glance.

Ai blinked hazily. She suddenly stared around her with a new perspective. Nothing looked familiar to her, the buildings were different…this wasn't the Tokyo she knew.

Ai turned from both boys and ran. Tatsuma yelled after her but she ignored him. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

And eventually tripped over a garbage can. Ai grimaced, shoving away pieces of rubbish until she came across something that startled her. A crumpled up newspaper lay before her. Ai snatched at it her mind swimming frantically. What was the date? She remembered her kendo meet was on August 13, 2028. She stared at the date on the newspaper.

August 13, 2007.

_2007_?

Ai felt dizzy. She collapsed in a heap and promptly fell unconscious.

XXXXXX

Cold rain droplets woke Ai up as she slowly stood. She was in an alley, and the sun seemed to have just risen, though it was hard to tell with the dirty gray clouds blanketing the sky. She glanced around her, recalling the past night's events. She felt sick to her stomach.

She tried to brush herself off. She was filthy. Her school uniform had ripped and her hair stuck up everywhere from falling asleep in an alley. Ai also was willing to bet that she stunk like high heaven. She'd just go home, and take a shower, and…

She swallowed. She didn't have a home. Not in 2007. She didn't _exist_.

"This can't be happening," She muttered, starting to walk down the alleyway. Thunder crashed. She jumped.

It began to pour. Ai swore, and started to run down the street, splashing messily into various puddles. Her knee-socks were completely soaked, and sagging down by her ankles. She shivered.

The 2007 Tokyo pedestrians ignored her as they went about their business, opening umbrellas to shield from the downpour. Lightning flashed, and Ai winced. She needed to find shelter.

She ran down several streets, randomly scanning various stores to find a place she could dry off for a bit. She wanted a quiet place, somewhere she could think clearly.

Ah! An antique store! Perfect! Ai ran towards it. She blinked, recognizing it. This wasn't just any antique store, this was…her mom's. She shivered. Not in this time, it wasn't. A crooked sign hung over it, proclaiming that it was "Kisaragi Antiques." The name sounded vaguely familiar to Ai. She shook away her thoughts, and entered the store.

She nearly smacked into someone who was exiting. "I'm sorry," Ai apologized automatically.

"Don't worry about it," the girl said smiling. Ai watched the girl's eyes travel over her dirty appearance. "Looks like it's raining pretty hard, huh?"

"Yeah," Ai sighed walking inside. She shivered again.

"Well, see you," The girl said, beginning to open an umbrella.

"Lady Misato!"

Ai turned, and watched a young man stride towards her. He had long, dark hair, tied in a single braid that swept over his shoulder.

"Your father wanted…" The young man glanced at Ai. "I'm sorry, miss, but the store's closed right now."

Ai sighed exasperatedly.

"Kisaragi-kun, let her stay for five minutes or so, she's soaked to the bone," The girl scolded gently.

The young man bowed. "As you wish, Lady Misato."

"Yeah, thanks…Misato…" Ai sighed.

Misato smiled. "It's Aoi, Aoi Misato," She waved cheerfully. She turned to leave but paused hearing Ai gasp.

"Is something wrong?" She asked curiously.

"_Mom_?"


	3. Her Dragon Veins: Time Travel

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update, I've been bogged down by schoolwork and work and other such fun activities. Enjoy, tell me what you think!**

**Thank you to Heiwa P, Asmodel, NobleAngel015, and BlackMoonTiger for reviewing! Keep it up, reviews are fanfiction crack! **

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Aoi Misato blinked. The girl before her looked like she'd been through something. Her uniform was tattered and dirty, her black hair was matted and soaked. Her eyes…there was something familiar about the girl's eyes, but Aoi couldn't quite place it.

"I'm sorry?" She asked politely.

"You're—you're—oh my God," The girl moaned collapsing to her knees. Concerned, Aoi knelt next to her.

"Are you okay?" Aoi asked worriedly.

"No!" The girl said, beginning to sob. "I'm not where I'm supposed to be…I don't know how this happened!"

"Calm down," Aoi said putting an arm around her. It was a gesture of comfort, but it only succeeded in making the girl cry louder.

XXXXXX

Ai knew her mom meant well, but any words of sympathy from her seventeen-year-old mom only made her feel sick. If she was back home, she knew her mom would fix her some ramen and tea, smooth away her hair and Ai would be able to tell her all of her worries. Aoi Houraiji—make that Misato, was no different in the year 2007. The only difference was that Ai couldn't tell her _anything_.

The worst thing was, she looked so damned _concerned_.

Ai tried to staunch her sniffling. She wasn't a baby, after all. If her dad was here, he'd tell her to get a grip, stop bawling, and DO something. She shuddered. Scratch that…her dad _was_ here.

Before Ai could think of anything else to do, the antique shop doors opened. In walked Tatsuma Hiyuu…and her dad.

"Aoi, we had something we wanted to talk—" Tatsuma stopped, doing a double take at Ai. "Hey…it's you!"

"Do you know her, Tatsuma?" Aoi asked curiously.

"Vaguely," Tatsuma said looking at her. Kyouichi grunted impatiently.

Ai gulped. She choked out something and shoved her way past the two of them, hearing Tatsuma's surprised cry and Kyouichi's irritated one.

"Come back!" Ai heard her mother call out worriedly. Ai ignored her plowing on.

"Oi! You stupid moron, get back here!" Her father bellowed. Ai paid no heed to either one of them.

That is, till a demon obstructed her path.

Ai let out a sharp wail. Why did they constantly seem to come after her? This one reminded her of a silverfish, a silver fish with a boar's head. It snarled at her and charged.

Before it could attack, she saw her bokuto flash through the air and clonk it hard on the head. Make that her dad's bokuto. Kyouichi kicked the fiend hard and shot her a nasty glare.

"Get out of here!" He snapped.

Ai blinked. She heard the others coming out of the antique shop, rushing to help. She screamed when the monster raised up a claw to stab her teenage father. She couldn't…she couldn't let this happen! Not again!

Power surged through her. Her arms became marked with red stripes and her eyes went white. Kyouichi stared at her, startled. He then turned to best the beast. But to his surprise, the demon had frozen.

Aoi and Tatsuma rushed forward. Aoi gaped at the demon. "Why…why isn't it moving?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Kyouichi yelled. He leaped into the air and destroyed the monster in one fell swoop of his bokuto.

A great calm passed through Ai. The marks disappeared and she fell to her knees, panting. Her energy had been completely spent. She fainted.

"What…what was that?" Aoi asked quietly. She knelt next to her, cupping Ai's head in her arms. "She…she has the power too!"

"Not just any power, Lady Misato," Kisaragi caught up to them. "She has a very dangerous power…she can manipulate time."

"Manipulate time?" Kyouichi snorted. "Like Back to the Future and all that crap?"

"Precisely," Kisaragi said crisply. "And it's not a joking matter. That's a very dangerous power to have, even with the power of the Dragon Veins."

"First things first," Aoi said. "Let's get her inside. When she wakes up she can explain everything. I'll call Komaki and Daigo as well."

XXXXX

Ai groaned. Something cool was placed on her forehead. It felt heavenly. She opened her eyes.

Aoi Misato was leaning over her, dabbing her with a cool cloth. She glanced to her other side, hoping to see Kyouichi, but instead saw Tatsuma. He gave her a comforting smile. She attempted to sit up. She saw a girl about Aoi's age with burgundy hair. She looked somewhat familiar to Ai. She also noticed a large burly guy, very wrestler-esque standing somewhat close to the redhead. Ai blinked blearily.

"Careful, now," Aoi said warningly. "Not too fast. Why don't you start out by telling us your name?"

"Ai Ho—Honda," Ai replied, quickly recovering her wits. She heard a loud snort.

"Thought it was 'Hoshiko'," Kyouichi muttered. Aoi shot him a look.

"It's all right if you don't want to tell us your real name," Aoi said soothingly. "How about we introduce ourselves? You already know me, I'm Aoi Misato."

Ai whimpered. She nodded.

"Tatsuma Hiyuu," Tatsuma said pleasantly. "We've met." He added for Aoi's benefit.

"Kyouichi Houraiji," Kyouichi said darkly, still looking at her with great suspicion.

"Komaki Sakurai," The redhead said in a friendly enough voice, but there was a warning inflection to her voice. She looked to Ai the type of girl who could kick her ass with no trouble.

"Yuuya Daigo," the burly one said. His voice was very deep.

Ai gasped. "Daigo?!" Holy crap, this guy was Tetsushi's dad!

Daigo blinked. "Do I know you?"

"Um…" Ai said nervously. Her parents had been close friends with the Daigos. It was how she'd met Tetsushi, they were family friends.

"Why don't you start telling us where the hell you came from?" Kyouichi demanded.

"I can't," Ai said miserably.

"Why not?" Kyouichi snarled.

"Kyouichi, please," Aoi said to him.

Ai took a deep breath. "Because I'm from the future."

XXXXXX

At twilight, the group gathered outside the antique shop. The girl named Ai had given a very vague account of what happened to her. Apparently, she was from the year 2028. She couldn't tell them much, she seemed to be afraid of screwing up her present. Aoi sighed and took a deep breath.

"What do you all think?" She asked her friends.

"I think she's nuts," Kyouichi said bluntly. "Crackerdoodles. We've seen the Dragon Veins do a lot of shit, but come on, time travel? She's hiding something."

"Course she is," Daigo grunted. "If she really is from the future, telling us too much could screw up whatever home she knows."

"Oh, come on," Kyouichi threw up his hands. "This isn't Back to the Future. If what's happened has happened, then there's no changing it."

"But now she's back here, so what's happened _hasn't_ happened," Komaki pointed out.

Kyouichi groaned. "Shit. This is giving me a headache."

Tatsuma said nothing.

"It's pretty evident that she has some kind of manipulative affect on time," Komaki said. "But from the year 2028? She's not even from our generation. For all we know…"

Komaki gulped and continued. "For all we know…she could be one of our kids."

This had an interesting affect on all of them. Tatsuma looked thoughtful and glanced at Kyouichi. Aoi furrowed her brow, as if she was trying to remember something. Komaki looked queasy, and Daigo blushed furiously.

The only one who _didn't_ react was Kyouichi. "Maybe for you guys," He said breezily. "I ain't having kids."

Komaki rolled her eyes. Tatsuma began to snicker.

"What are you laughing at?" Kyouichi said challengingly to his best friend.

"Nothing," Tatsuma said innocently. He took out a packet of strawberry milk from his hood and began to sip.

"She looks familiar," Aoi said quietly.

They all looked at her.

Aoi blushed. "I'm just saying…when I look at her…it feels like I've met her before. Or dreamed about her. Her eyes are really familiar to me."

The group chewed on this for a bit.

Kyouichi didn't want to admit it, but the girl, Ai, had had a similar affect on him. There was something about her that gave him the disconcerting feeling that he was looking into a mirror. She did seem familiar to him. Not that he'd admit this to anyone, least of all to himself.

"Let's let her rest here," Tatsuma said finally. "I'll talk to her in the morning."

The rest agreed and parted ways.


	4. Marty Would Be Proud

**AN: Sorry it took so long, guys! **

**Asmodel****- Heh, one of the more fun things about this fic is imagining their expressions. I hear their voices; it's quite the blasty blast!**

**Ladyofwater****- Thanks for your uplifting review. I appreciate your optimism! Thanks for reading!**

**Inu-anime Buff****- Okay, flame-dude, first off, listen up. You got any suggestions, feel free to PM me. Care telling me WHY my fic supposedly sucks or WHY my writing sucks? Didn't think so. So why don't you just go SUCK IT if you don't have anything USEFUL to say. **

**TO EVERYONE: Anyone else flames me, I'll just use them for a nice barbecue which YOU won't be invited to. HA! HOWEVER! Constructive criticism is welcome, and all who review (criticism or praise) gets a cookie!**

**Disclaimer- Don't own Tokyo Majin.**

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Ai was pacing, and she wasn't a pacer. But she felt like if she stopped moving, the horror of this disaster would become all too real. How the hell was she supposed to get back? And how was she supposed to save her parents? Ai shuddered as the image of her mother being sliced open by the demon flashed before her.

The door opened, and Tatsuma entered. "Feeling any better?" He asked pleasantly.

"You guys probably think I'm nuts," Ai said, refusing to reciprocate inane small talk.

Tatsuma considered. "You'd be surprised at what we've had to deal with, and you'd be surprised at what we're willing to accept," He commented.

Ai snorted. "C'mon. If some crazy chick came up to me in _my _time and said she was from twenty years in the future, I'd think she was loco too."

"Well, maybe some of the others are a little unsure," Tatsuma allowed. "But I believe you."

Ai thought he was humoring her. "You do?" She sighed.

"You have Kyouichi's eyes," Tatsuma commented, with the air of someone remarking that it was probably going to rain.

Ai froze. He knew. One day here, and she'd already screwed up her future! She stared at her hands; already imagining them vanish, like a Hollywood film effect.

"You kinda look like Aoi, too…" Tatsuma said thoughtfully.

"Okay, okay!" Ai threw up her hands. "Obviously you get it. You _cannot_ tell them. I've seen this movie, it would screw up everything!"

Tatsuma chuckled. "I'm not gonna tell them," He promised.

Ai sighed. "How long have they been together so far? Dad always said they got together in high school."

Tatsuma blinked. "Kyouichi and Aoi? They're not together."

Ai stared at him. "They're not together yet?"

"Until you popped into existence, I wasn't even aware they had feelings for each other," Tatsuma said honestly.

"Maybe you're just not really observant?" Ai said hopefully.

Tatsuma didn't answer. He'd had a feeling that maybe Kyouichi liked Aoi—at least unconsciously. He was always supremely protective of her, and his nastiness towards her could be some sort of manifestation of his feelings for her. But Aoi was a different story altogether.

And as for Tatsuma himself…well, obviously this here was more important.

Ai was beginning to panic. "They're supposed to get together! During they're senior year! If they don't, then Atsushi and I are screwed!"

Tatsuma snapped out of his reverie. "Relax. Do you remember when the story about how they got together? Maybe we can help things along."

Ai squinted in concentration. "I dunno…I don't remember paying attention…shit. Dad said something about them having a lot of help and some random coincidences…geez, I can't remember anything!" Her frustration nearly brought her to tears.

"Calm down," Tatsuma placed his hands on her shoulders. "Look, this week is Obon. We were all going to celebrate—do a little patrolling while we're at it. People are supposed to get romantic during festivals. We'll just make a—a matchmaking plan for them."

Ai blinked at him. "You mean you'll help me?"

Tatsuma got the weirdest feeling. Ai's eyes were precisely the shade of Kyouichi's, but currently they had the same wide-eyed, pleading effect of Aoi's. It was like mixing chocolate milk and whiskey.

"Of course I will," Tatsuma said, shaking off the feeling. "You're one of us. You have the power. We stick together, and we can't have you vanishing into nothingness, right?" He smiled at her.

Ai flushed for absolutely no reason whatsoever. What the hell?

"Thanks," She sighed. "So what's the next plan?"

"Get help from the most influential source," Tatsuma said cheerfully.

XXXXX

"ARE YOU INSANE?"

Somehow, Tatsuma expected this reaction for Komaki. Ai, who was slowly getting more comfortable with her surroundings, stared the redhead down.

"Get _Aoi_ together with that—that—delinquent?" Komaki sputtered.

"It's _imperative _to the future," Ai said firmly.

"Imperative my ass!" Komaki snarled. "You know what? I've just decided that I agree with Kyouichi. You are nuts. Stay the hell away from Aoi." Komaki crossed her arms, daring Ai to disagree.

Ai rose up to her full height. "Look, Dai—I mean, Sakurai. Believe it or not, I actually know you into the future. And I guess if this is the only way to prove it, then this is it."

Komaki's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You're Komaki Sakurai," Ai said, training herself not to say Daigo. She thought about her mother's friend—in the future—and prayed her personal traits hadn't changed that much.

"You were—are on the archery team in high school, captain even. You don't like fancy gourmet foods, you like candy and convenience store foods," Ai remembered often spending the night at Tetsushi's when she was younger. They'd always eat out unless Tetsushi's father was home.

"You like ghost stories, you're kinda protective, and—and—" Komaki was staring at Ai astonished.

Ai closed her eyes. "And your son is my best friend."

Komaki wasn't sure what to say. Everything Ai had said was accurate—aside from the weird son remark. Her stomach lurched.

"Kyouichi's not a bad guy," Tatsuma said helpfully.

Komaki whirled around. "Oh yeah? And what do you know? You're both keeping shit from me!"

Neither Tatsuma nor Ai answered.

Komaki screamed in frustration. "URGH! FINE! Only because I trust YOU, Tatsuma, not _her_!" She spat at Ai. Ai looked visibly relieved.

"But I swear to God, if he even lays one finger on Aoi…" Komaki throttled the air.

Ai looked insulted. "He wouldn't!"

"So you'll help us?" Tatsuma asked calmly.

Komaki kicked something at random, glowering at the both of them. Finally, she bit out, "Yes."

"Good," Ai sighed in relief. "We'll start tomorrow night—during the festival."

Unbeknownst to the three of them, a white, orange, and black cat with one eye stared at them from a windowsill. It then turned up its nose, and went off to report to its master.


	5. Obon

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Enjoy the next chapter!**

**Joushou-Sensei****- Glad you like, hope you enjoy! **

**MochiMochi-tan****- Good for you! Be sure to make reviewing a habit! :-D Ai make slipups? Oh ye of little faith…;-)**

**devilYuki****- It's gonna be continued, I've just been very busy half the time and very lazy the other half. :-D**

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"Do you need help with the obi?" Aoi asked Ai pleasantly.

Ai swallowed. "Y-yeah, sure." It was so weird and strange seeing her mother like this.

"I tie these very often," Aoi said conversationally. "Daddy loves kimonos and buys me them pretty often, along with yukatas. This red one looks really pretty on you, Ai."

"Thanks," Ai murmured. Aoi herself was wearing a midnight blue kimono with lovely silver designs on it. She looked like a night goddess in the ancient legends. Aoi sighed and wished for the thousandth time she looked more like her mother.

_Well, Tatsuma thought I looked like her._ Ai reminded herself. She felt slightly less panicked about her whole situation since Tatsuma knew about it, but it didn't quell her nervousness. This just had to work!

There was a knock at the door and Aoi smiled. "That must be the rest of them," She said serenely. "You're set to go."

Ai nodded and mother and daughter walked to the foyer and exited the house.

XXXXX

"Oh, Aoi! You look so pretty!" Komaki exclaimed. She did not say anything about Ai's kimono. Ai suspected that Komaki was still annoyed about agreeing to the 'let's get Kyouichi and Aoi together' plot. Still, Komaki herself looked very lovely in a dark green kimono. Daigo couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

Ai sidled next to Tatsuma. "I'm feeling better about this," She whispered. "Look how pretty mom looks! There's no way dad'll not fall for her."

"It sounds weird when you refer to them like that," Tatsuma remarked conversationally. "But I agree with you. You look really nice yourself, by the way."

Ai blinked; she hadn't been expecting that. "Thanks," She muttered. "Where is dad—Kyouichi anyway?"

"He said he'd meet us at the festival." Tatsuma said breezily. "Let's get going."

Out of the corner of Ai's eye, she noticed a multi-colored flash. She whipped around.

"What is it?" Komaki demanded huffily.

"Nothing," Ai said slowly. "I guess I just imagined it…"

XXXXX

The entire street was lit up with paper lanterns. Ai was mightily impressed by the spectacle. The group met up with Kyouichi and started wandering around aimlessly. To Ai's disappointment, Kyouichi did not give Aoi the same puppy dog look Daigo gave Komaki. He merely glanced at her and stuck close to Tatsuma. Ai knew this would take some teamwork.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to play some festival games!" Komaki declared.

"I'll go with you, Sakurai!" Daigo said eagerly.

"'Kay," Komaki said indifferently. "You wanna come, Aoi?"

"Maybe a little later," Aoi replied. "I wanted to set my lantern afloat earlier his year—to try and get some more protection from my ancestors. Anyone want to come with me?"

An idea crept into Tatsuma's head. "I'll go with Aoi."

"Yeah, I'll go too, I'm not hungry and not into festival games," Kyouichi said seeing that Tatsuma was going.

"I'm actually kind of hungry," Ai said looking confusedly at Tatsuma. "I was going to get something to eat."

"That's a good idea!" Tatsuma said quickly. "Tell you what, sinceyou'renewI'llmakesureyoudon'tgetlostKyouichiwilltakeAoiandwe'llmeetbacklaterkayseeyoubye!" Tatsuma grabbed Ai's hand and immediately disappeared. Komaki grumbled, grabbed Daigo's sleeve and stalked off leaving Kyouichi and Aoi alone.

Kyouichi blinked. "Wait, what just happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Aoi admitted. She gave Kyouichi a sideways glance. "Do you still want to come with me?"

Kyouichi twisted his mouth a little. "Well—fine, sure. Whatever." The two of them determinedly didn't look at each other as they started towards the water.

XXXXX

"That wasn't exactly subtle," Ai said dryly as Tatsuma led her to the food stands. Tatsuma shrugged.

"We don't have time for subtle," He said merrily. "Besides, it's best we get them together as soon as possible."

Ai frowned. "But shouldn't we try not to rush things? You can't rush love, right?"

Tatsuma shrugged again. "Maybe, but we can plant as many seeds as possible." He ordered a small cardboard plate of yakisoba and began to eat thoughtfully. Ai ordered her own.

"You're surprisingly gung-ho about all of this," Ai remarked. "Komaki still wants to kill me."

Tatsuma laughed. "She'll get over it. Kyouichi doesn't seem like it, but he is a very loyal guy. I know he'll take care of Aoi just as well as I could. Of course _you_ already know that." He smiled at her.

Ai nodded and then froze. She reran the words in her head…"just as well as I could…" Did Tatsuma like her mom too?! Ai opened her mouth to ask when a wave of nausea overcame her. She groaned and held her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Tatsuma asked concerned.

"I feel sick…" Aoi gasped. "I feel like…like something terrible is about to happen!"

XXXXX

Aoi lit the candle. She took a deep breath and silently said her prayer. Unbeknownst, Kyouichi watched her. She looked very lovely against the firelight…

Kyouichi shook himself abruptly. Enough of that. "What'd you pray for?" He cleared his throat.

Aoi looked up at him from her kneeling position. "I prayed for my ancestors to watch over us as we fight, to give us their protection," She smiled faintly.

Kyouichi nodded brusquely.

"Would you like to say a prayer too?" Aoi offered. "We can both send it out."

Kyouichi shrugged. "I'm not much of a praying guy."

"Well, is there anyone you'd like to honor?" Aoi asked quietly. "Anyone who passed away?"

His mouth felt dry. "My dad."

Aoi's large eyes looked sad. She took his hands and gently placed them on the little boat. Together, the two of them set the lighted boat afloat. Its glow floated away from them, its warm light strangely comforting. Kyouichi's hands were still on Aoi's. The two of them watched their boat float away and then turned, looking at each other.

"Aoi…" Kyouichi started to say.

"Yes?" Aoi whispered.

"I…" His expression changed. "What the hell is _that_?!"

And then a burst of light interrupted them both.


End file.
